Count Gormaz of Oviedo

Count Gormaz (died 1080) was the champion of King Fernando I of Leon.

Biography
Gormaz was born in Castile to a noble Spanish family, and he became the Count of Oviedo in Asturias under King Fernando I of Leon. Gormaz became Fernando's champion due to his great skills in war, but his only heir was his daughter Ximena, and he had no wife. He was bitter about not having a son, and he told his daughter that she could not wed Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar after Garcia Ordonez informed him that he was a traitor. When Rodrigo's father Diego Lainez called Ordonez a liar, Ordonez challenged Diego to a duel on behalf of the King, and Rodrigo represented his father while Gormaz represented the king. In the ensuing duel, Gormaz was slain by the tougher El Cid, leading to Ximena attempting to have El Cid killed before finally marrying him.